1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to an archery scope mount and more particularly to a new and novel light weight, one-piece low-profile mount for adjustably mounting a scope on an archery bow.
2. Description of Prior Art and Objects:
Many have adapted sights and telescopes, hereinafter referred to as scopes, on archery bows. The heed for a sight stems from the gravitational force placed upon the arrow as it makes its way to the chosen target. When the arrow is released from the bowstring, gravity instantly reacts, pulling the arrow toward the ground. The use of sights and scopes is an effort to compensate the gravitational effect. In order for this to happen, the sight must balance the distances over the gravitational forces to reach the goal. Many situations require the archer to determine the distance with nothing more than the archer's perception. This is the basis for the adjustability of the mounting plate of the present invention. The combination of perception and the capability to adjust the sighting mechanism of a bow allows a greater degree of success for the archer.
Archery sight mounts have heretofore typically been mounted on the outer surface of the archery bow riser, opposite the side of the arrow rest, and include structure which extends around the bow to mount the sight on the inner side of the bow, adjacent the arrow rest. U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,233 issued to Donald L. Vaughn et al on Dec. 21, 1999, discloses such a preexisting sight mount.
A similar prior art scope mount, sold under the trademark HHA Optimizer Lite, is illustrated as catalog no. SB-41-4979 at page 407 of the 40th Anniversary Master Catalog Fall 2001, Edition II, published by Cabella's Inc., Sidney, Nebr.
Frequently, such bow sight mounts also mount an archery quiver which releasably stores a plurality of vertically disposed arrows adjacent the outer side of the bow. Not only are the bow sights large, protruding and easily inadvertently hit but, the quivers are particularly massive and more easily inadvertently hit jarring the bow sight out of alignment. Also, if the archer is hunting in inclement weather, including freezing rain, the quiver and arrows therein will sometimes “ice over”. In attempting to detach the frozen arrows, the archer will sometimes dislodge the prior art scope mount. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel sight mount which mounts on the inside of a bow adjacent the arrow rest.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel scope mount which has a low profile, but yet allows the scope to be adjustably mounted.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel sight mount which can be horizontally and vertically adjusted on the bow.
Other scope mounts include L-shaped brackets which include a cantileverly supported leg lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the bow. One such sight mount is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,615 issued to Paul A. Bracknell on Dec. 9, 1980. The aforementioned HHA Optimizer Lite scope mount is similar. The prior art bracket and scope mount also projects a substantial distance away from the bow to a position underlying the scope mounted thereon. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a one-piece scope mount having a base which lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the bow and an integral mounting projection lying in a plane which is perpendicular to the bow and intersects the axis of a scope.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a one-piece scope mount of the type described including a base plate lying in a predetermined plane and having a horizontal midpoint and an integral dovetail scope mounting protrusion thereon which lies in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the base and intersecting the midpoint.
The mount illustrated in the Bracknell patent also discloses ring mounts which include various parts that are detachably coupled to a scope and can relatively move and, along with the rest of the structure, disclosed therein, provide inevitable circumstances that would cause the Bracknell mount to become easily misaligned. Accordingly, it is a still further object of the present invention to provide a scope mount which is one-piece has a low profile to reduce the chances of being inadvertently knocked out of alignment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,469 issued to Norman J. Weast on Sep. 29, 1981, also discloses a scope mount for an archery bow including rings for holding the scope to the mount. The use of rings provide many additional parts which can be inadvertently decoupled and/or relatively moved to disrupt the sight. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a one-piece mount with an integral, scope mounting dovetail protrusion.
Other examples of prior patents having sight mounts with a large number of moving parts are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No.PatenteeIssue Date3,266,149L. Y. PowellAugust 16, 19663,368,282D. E. Gibson et alFebruary 13, 19685,040,300SheffieldAugust 20, 19915,367,780SavageNovember 29, 19945,465,491ThellNovember 14, 1995
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel one-piece scope mount of the type described having a base plate integrally mounting an elongate, dovetail scope mounting bar including upper and lower edge portions having parallel elongate grooves and a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart channels, disposed perpendicular to the scope mounting bar in a laterally outer terminal side surface of the sight mounting bar.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a scope mount of the type described wherein the base plate lies in a plane and the laterally outer terminal side surface of the dovetail scope mounting bar lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the base plate.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel one-piece scope mount of the type described having a plurality of mounting apertures therethrough, the lowermost one of which has an arcuate configuration.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.